shame on me.

gah! i'm starting to believe that i am a horrible blogger!! more than two weeks have flown by and no post. i'm sure that ALL of you have been sitting on the edge of your seat, waiting to desperately find out what has been going on in my world....well, at last! i am back!! i promise to be better.

a couple of weekends ago, i hosted a bridal shower for one of my pals and i have a couple of details to share with you throughout the next couple of days.

in the meantime, here's a glimpse of a gift i made back in july for two of my married buddies who moved to chi-town, illinois.....who are we kidding?? i didn't make it for the dude, i made it for my girlfriend. i think it turned out pretty cute although jader told me the heart-shaped "o" resembled more of a "v" than a heart. whatevs, i still heart it. (get it? heart it? bwahaha).

etsy love: bold & noble.

i love these prints from bold & noble. i'm saving my pennies to purchase one for our abode.

etsy love: sunshine and circles.

i'm diggin' this rug. it's yellow! it's handmade! it's beautimus!

cayenne-pepper chicken with avocado salsa.

i've made this martha recipe a handful of times now and it is just scrumptious. it's also super easy. a warning to all of you gringos out there: it is a bit spicy, but the avocado salsa helps keep the hotness in check. i do realize that my photo isn't the most appetizing thing in the world, but i'm working on taking better food shots. hmmm, maybe next time, i'll have to remember to take the dirty fork out of the frame.....just bare with me, alright? happy eating!

cold hearted.

i had lunch with three of my favorite gals in the whole world: my sisters and my momma. they don't live in town (amel will be an a-town resident here again shortly...) but they come to austin quite a bit to get some essentials done. in other words: shop. the purpose of today's visit was (cue heavenly chorus) IKEA! amelia needed some new, dope furniture to outfit her apt. sounds like the trip was a success. my moms picked this up for me:

it's an ice cube tray!!! i can't wait to find an excuse to use it. i can't wait to see jader's reaction - he's going to LOVE this.....(that's sarcasm, kids. it's a new trend: try it.)

thanks momma!

mellow yellow.

i've been nutso for yellow lately. isn't this pattern great?? it looks to be an orla kiely, but that's just a guess.

found via Twig & Thistle.

love, hfj

here's a glimpse at some stationery i made last month. since getting married, i'm kind of obsessed with my new initials....well, i loved my old initials too. i just love writing "j"s i suppose.....anyhoo, back to my point. one of my favorite wedding gifts was from my best gal, j. it was a beautiful set of recipe cards with my initials printed on them. i do believe that was the first time i saw my initials in writing. it's been love ever since.

what the...?!?!?!

watermelon gazpacho!? i've never heard of such things!! but, oh lordy, believe me when i tell you that watermelon gazpacho not only exists, it slams! i discovered it at one of my favorite lunch joints - foodheads. it tastes nothing like you would expect. it's more spicy and savory than sweet. j and i went and grabbed a cup today. i encourage you to do the same immediately!!

whoopsh!

daaaaang! reason #1,894,212,999 reason why i heart central market. they make thing like this and pass out free samples. be still my chocolate-loving and icing-adoring heart. (sorry for the crappy blackberry photo - see jader! i do NEED an iPhone!!)

etsy love: sigmosaics.

i discovered etsy earlier this year and i'm completely addicted!! i love that artists can sell directly to interested buyers and i also love purchasing items that i know were handmade and are totally unique. i dig all things-heart-related and am currently swooning over this beautiful mosaic dish by sigmosaics. so pretty!

j + d

earlier this summer, i made this for my friend j. i've been making many of these collages (not sure what exactly to call them? fancy construction paper pictures??). since discovering some very affordable frames and pre-cut matting at michael's i've gone a little hog-wild making gifts for friends.

many apologies.

so sorry for disappearing! my fam, jader and i headed to florida with a pit-stop in new orleans for a nice little vacay. here's a little of what we were up to.